Phytolacca americana
Raisin d’Amérique
Poke Weed
Additional information
| Plant family | |
|---|---|
| Area | Provence Verte |
| Flower colour | white |
| Flower size | 5-6 mm |
| Flowering months | June, July, August, September, October |
| Leaf type | Lanceolate, Elliptic |
| Height | 1 – 2.5 m |
Description
Smooth, hollow, purplish stems on a large fleshy root. Dies back to its roots in winter. An invasive plant.
Native Americans introduced this herb to the settlers for medicinal purposes. The name Poke Weed is derived from an American Indian word, ‘pocan’.
Flowers
The flowers are borne in upright or drooping terminal racemes, 5-20 cm long.
Leaves
Elliptic oval leaf, Lanceolate leaf is lance-shaped: long and widest in the middle. Oval to long, wider in the middle, pointed, 1-2.5 cm long.
Fruits Seeds
Berry: first green, then red, eventually black, 1 cm.
Medical
Roots: used as an emetic and as a remedy for venereal disease. In the 19th century it was discovered that Poke Weed has a constituent called Poke Weed Mitogen factor (PWM) which is employed for immunological purposes in modern medicine.
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